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Cute hats optional: FAU has moved its advanced nursing classes to Fort Pierce.

As the Affordable Care Act increases the number of people with health coverage, demand for nurse practitioners is growing. Much of this new demand is coming from rural areas of Florida, says professor Marlaine Smith, dean of the Florida Atlantic University College of Nursing.

To meet the demand, FAU has moved its family nurse practitioner and RN-to-BSN programs in the Treasure Coast to the FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce, the university said Tuesday. The classes had been at the now-shuttered Port St. Lucie FAU campus, which was forced to close due to state budget cuts of almost $25 million in 2012.

The deadline to apply for the nurse practitioner’s master’s program is April 1.

“Now is the time for nurses to advance their education, preparing themselves to meet the health care needs of their community,” Smith said. “We are gradually seeing nurse practitioners play an even more vital role in the health care community, as they often need to practice to the fullest extent possible due to health professional shortages in these geographic areas.”

To qualify for the RN-to-BSN program, nurses must have a diploma or associate’s degree from an accredited institution. They must have passed the NCLEX exam and have an unencumbered license.